A Step Toward a United States of Europe?

... or perhaps just a breath of fresh air to make the unwieldy EU structure a bit more manageable. Either way, the Lisbon Treaty has now been signed by all 27 EU member states and may take effect as soon as December 1. The Lisbon Treaty updates the original 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which formed the European Union, and provides a permanent presidency and foreign minister.

This has been a long time in coming; the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by all the EU member states has taken almost two years--one could argue that that delay itself emphasizes the need for such a treaty. (Indeed, the origins of the Lisbon Treaty can be seen in the proposed and rejected European constitution, which goes back to 2005). Will the creation of a permanent EU presidency and unified foreign affairs activity gradually rob member states of national sovereignty, as many fear? Time will tell.